Method of and apparatus for making gloves



July 25, 1961 J. D. PLANT, JR 2,993,528

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING GLOVES July 25, 1961 J. D, PLANT, JR 2,993,528

METHOD OF' AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING GLOVES Filed April 1, 195s 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENT OR MW AQ. @Mdm United States Patent O 2,993,528 ME'IHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FUR MAKING GLOVES lohn D. Plant, Jr., Guilford, Conn. (RFD. 1, Madison, Conn.) Filed Apr. 1, 1958, Ser. No. 725,551 18 Claims. (Cl. 154-42) This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for making gloves and more particularly industrial gloves usually made of knitted cotton textile material and which are usually sold at a relatively low price. It will, however, be understood that the invention is not limited to industrial gloves nor is it limited to gloves but may be applied to the manufacture of articles of other types, such as mailing bags, for example.

In the manufacture of gloves, vfor example, and particularly gloves for industrial use, it is usually the custom to stamp or cut layers of cloth into the form desired for the making of the glove, then superpose two such layers inside out and Sew around the ngers and edge of the glove. The glove must then be turned inside out so that the seam will be disposed at the inside of the finished article. ln some instances the two plies of material which have been cut into the desired shape may be secured together by glue or cement, but regardless of the method employed in this respect the making of the glove requires a considerable amount of hand work, thus adding to the expense of an article which it is desired to sell at a relatively low price.

lt is contemplated by the present invention to provide a new and improved process for the manufacture of gloves or other articles of apparel wherein the two plies'of cloth lforming the front and back sides of the glove, for example, are joined at their edges and around the fingers by adhesive and the glove cut from the material of which it is made by a continuous process so as to greatly reduce the expense of manufacture.

ln the process it is proposed to employ material which is of attened tubular form so that both plies of material will be passed through the apparatus to be cut into the desired form and glued together around .the outline of the hand and ngers of the iinished product if it is a glove. This is etlected by feeding the superposed plies of material to a series of rollers which cut or disintegrate the material around the outline of the glove, apply a cement or other adhesive to the plies of material along the out edges, cause the adhesive to permeate the plies, and then wind the material upon a spindle or reel. It will be understood that the term cut as used above does not necessarily mean that the cloth around the outline of the glove is completely severed from the remainder of the strip but rather is disintegrated or greatly weakened along this outline. It may, therefore, be carried along with the remainder of the strip of material to be wound up upon the reel and thereafter each glove may be easily torn from the strip with little eiort. The glove may then, if desired, be turned inside out so that the cemented seams will be on the inside of the finished product for better appearance, and the glove is then completed.

One object of the invention is to provide a new and improved method for making gloves or other articles of apparel.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus into which may be ted a two-ply strip of material from which gloves or other articles of wearing apparel are to be made and by the operation of which gloves, for example, may be cut -from the material and the two plies cemented together around the outline of the glove during a continuous passage of the strip.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a method of making gloves wherein the gloves are cut from a two-ply strip of material and simultaneously with the cutting operation cement is applied to the material around the outline upon which it has been severed and the cement thereafter caused to permeate the plies of material and iirrnly secure them together so that they will be joined at their cut edges.

till another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus comprising a plurality of cooperating rolls, one of these rolls being provided with cutting dies to cut or disintegrate a strip'of material along the outline of the article to be made, the apparatus also comprising means for applying cement to the cutting dies whereby this cement or adhesive will be applied to the material simultaneously with the cutting and along the lines of severance and also means for pressing the layers of material together so that they will be rmly sealed along the out outline.

To these -and other ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. l is a top plan view of an apparatus embodying my invention and which may be employed in carrying out my improved process;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on line 2 2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a development of one of the die or cutting rolls;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view through one of the cutting ridges on line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view on another portion of a cutting ridge taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a development of a cooperating cutting roll;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the material after it has been passed through the apparatus, showing the outline of the articles cut from the two-ply strip of material;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged `fragmentary sectional view showing the cooperation between one of the cutting ridges on the die roll and the cooperating anvil roll;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8, showing the cooperation between another of the cutting ridges on the die roll and the cooperating anvil roll; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view of the material after passage through the apparatus, the view being taken on line 1li-1d of FIG. 7.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention there is shown in the drawings an apparatus for making gloves comprising a frame 10 having rotatably mounted thereon a plurality of rolls 11, 12, 13 and 14. At the forward end of the frame is located a tank 15 for the cement or other adhesive and a cementing roll 16 is rotatably mounted in the Walls of this tank to dip into the cement therein and apply the cement to the cutting ridges on the roll 11 which is referred to as the die roll or cutting roll.

The roll `11 is provided with a flange 17 which engages a ange 18 on the adhesive roll 16 so that the latter will be driven by friction from the roll 11. The latter roll is driven by a shaft 21 of a motor 20, which also drives a sprocket chain 19, by a sprocket wheel 19a on shaft 21.

The die roll or cutting roll 11 is provided with raised or cutting ridges 22 and, as shown more particularly in FIG. 3, these ridges are formed in the outline of a glove. As illustrated, the length and circumference of this roll are of such dimensions as to provide for cutting dies or ridges thereon to cut two complete gloves, these forms being nested together to avoid waste of material.

The ridges 22 are relatively narrow over the greater part of their lengths but are widened to some extent at the crotch portions between the fingers, as shown at 23,

and at the tips of the ngers, as shown at 24. The crosssectional views of these ditferent portions of the ridges are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 where it will be seen that the apex 23a of the ridge or die 23 is of substantially the same width as the ridge 22 but the ridge 23 is provided with` a wider body portion 23b to spread the cement or adhesive over a wider portion of the material. As these die or cutting ridges project from the surface of the roll 11, the roll 16 will come into contact with the outer or top surfaces of the ridges and apply the cement thereto so that it will be applied to the material at the same time that the cutting action is effected.

The roll 12 constitutes an anvil roll to cooperate with the die roll or cutting roll 11, this anvil roll preferably being of metal as is the die roll 11 so as to be provided with a relatively hard surface in order that the material will be effectively disintegrated by the ridges 22 and 23 when passed between these rolls. The roll 11 may be adjusted toward and from the anvil roll 12 by means of screws 26 and 27 so as to adjust the pressure of the roll 11 on the roll 12, the axis of the latter being fixed against movement, except rotation, as illustrated.

The material from which the article such as gloves are to be made may be drawn from` a roll 23 rotatably mounted on the frame, the material, as shown at 29, passing between the rolls 11 and 12. It is understood that the material will be in two-ply form and, if knitted, may be knitted in tubular form so that when attened it will provide the two plies necessary for the front and back portions of the gloves. In passing between the rolls 11 and 12 this material will be cut along the outlines of the die ridges shown in FIG. 3 and the cement or adhesive applied thereto, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the cement being indicated at 30. -From these views it will be apparent that the cement will be applied to the material upon each side of the line of severance or disintegration of the material which is necessary to glue the two plies of the material together at such portions as between the fingers, for example. As shown in FIG. 9, the cutting ridge 23 will not only sever the material, but will spread the glue over a greater area than the ridge 22.

As shown in FIG. 3, the gloves are not cut across the wrist portions thereof for the reason that it is not desired to cement the material at this end of the glove but to leave it open for the entry of the hand of the user and, if a cutting ridge were formed upon the roll 11, glue would be applied to it by the roll 16. In order, however, to sever the gloves at the wrist end a further die roll 32 is rotatably mounted in a standard 33 supported on the frame, this roll, as shown in FIG. 6, being provided with cutting ridges 34 projecting outwardly from the roll which will sever the wrist end of the material along the lines 35 of FIG. l0. This pressure of this roll against the anvil roll 12 may be regulated by means of the adjusting screws 36.

After the material 29 is passed between the rolls 11 and 12 and over the latter roll, it is passed around a smoothing roll 13 which operates in relatively close contact with the roll 12 so as to smooth the material and spread to some extent the adhesive which has been applied by the die roll. This roll may be adjusted toward and from the anvil roll 12 by the adjusting screws 37 (FIG. 1) so that the surface distance between these two rolls may be adjusted as desired. This roll may also be conveniently of metal and will be driven from the sprocket chain 19 as are Valso the rolls 11 and 32. A chain tightener sprocket 38 may be provided on the frame and adjusted by the screw 39 so as to regulate the tension upon the chain 19.

After the material is passed about the roll 13, it passes between this roll and a presser roll 14 which is rotatably mounted on the frame and which may be adjusted by adjusting screws 40. This roll may have a rubber covering as shown at 41 so as to be somewhat softer than a metallic roll and to have some resilience and serves to press the material against the roll 13 and force the glue through both layers of material so as to permeate the same and cause the layers to be cemented together along the edges of the ngers and hand portion except, of course, across the bottom of the glove or wrist which has not received any cement from the ridges 34 of the roll 32. According to the present embodiment of the invention the roll 14 may not be positively driven but is driven through contact with the roll 13.

After the material has been passed between the rolls 13 and 14, it passes over the latter roll and is wound up on a take-up roll 43 rotatably mounted on a spindle 44 carried by spaced arms 45 which are pivoted at 46 to standards 47 supported upon the frame of the machine. 'Ihe roll 43 is driven by friction from the roll 14 so that it may rotate at variable speeds as the material builds up thereon. It will, of course, be understood that the material passes through the cutting and cementing rolls at a substantially constant speed and, as it builds up upon the take-up roll 43, the latter will rotate at a lower angular' speed although its surface speed will be the same as that of the roll 14.

In the operation of the machine it will be seen that the glue or cement will be applied by the roll 16 to the outer surfaces of the ridges 22 and 23 and, as the twoply material is passed between the cutter roll li and the die roll 12, it will be cut or disintegrated by these ridges so that it may be readily torn or severed along the outline of the ridges. At the same time the glue or cement will be applied to the material at the outside of the disintegrated or severed areas which will be the outline of the hand and iingers of the glove.

As the material passes between the rolls 12 and 32, the material will be severed at the bottom or across the wrist portion of the glove but no glue will be applied thereto. In passing between the rolls 12 and 13 and between the rolls 13 and 14 the material will be smoothed and the glue or cement will ybe spread to some extent and caused to permiate both layers of material so that, as delivered from the roll 14, the gloves will be cut and cemented around their edges with the exception of the transverse line across the wrist.

FIG. 7 of the drawing is a view of the material as delivered to the roll 43. The gloves will not be completely severed along the outlines 35a or along the fingers and sides of the hand portion of the gloves but the material `will be so severed or disintegrated that they may be easily stripped from the remainder of the material. Also glue will be applied to these lines of severance although not applied to the line 35 at the bottom of the wrist. As the gloves are not completely severed, they will be drawn along with the material through the apparatus to be Wound up upon the take-up roll 43.

The roll 43 may then be removed from the machine and the material unrolled upon a flat surface and the gloves stripped therefrom. They will now be in completed form except that they may be turned inside out if it is desired to have the seam at the inside of the gloves as used.

FIG. l0 of the drawings is an enlarged sectional view of the material adjacent the outline of a glove after it has passed through the machine Where it will be seen that the material is almost completely severed at 35a and the layers of material are cemented together, as shown at 35b upon each side of the severed area. The cementing of the gloves on both sides of the severed area will, of course, be necessary in connection with the finger portions of the finished article.

While the roll 14 acting in cooperation with the roll 13 tends to spread the adhesive and press it through the material, in some instances a satisfactory glove or other article can be made without employing this particular step in the process. For example, I may bring the material directly from the roll 12 across the top of the rolls 13 and 14 to be wound directly upon the take-up roll 43. In this event the roll 13, which is positively driven, would drive the roll 14 by friction and the latter would in turn drive the roll 43. As the adhesive would not be pressed into a thin layer and, therefore, might not be sutciently dry when the material is wound upon the roll 43, it might be desirable to feed in between the coils of material on the latter roll a sheet of polyethylene or similar material to prevent one coil or layer adhering to the lower one.

While it is desirable to use an apparatus which might be employed with either process, if it is not desired to use the roll 14 as a presser roll, the roll 13 may be omitted and the roll 14 substituted for it and driven by the chain 19 or by other suitable means. Alternatively the roll 14 may be omitted and the take-up roll driven from the roll 13. With the present apparatus, however, the roll 14 may or may not be used as a presser roll as desired without altering the structure.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of the improved method of making gloves and of the apparatus for carrying out the process, it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to all of the details shown but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the claims.

What l claim is:

l. 'Ihe method of making an article of wearing apparel of textile material which comprises disintegrating superposed plies of continuously moving material along the outline of the article to be formed, while simultaneously applying adhesive to an area along said outline and thereafter pressing the plies together to effect sealing thereof by the adhesive along said outline.

2. The method of making an article of wearing apparel of textile material as set forth in claim 1 wherein the adhesive is applied to a disintegrating die, and disintegrating the superposed plies of material with said die whereby the adhesive is applied to the material by the die along the severed outline.

3. The method of making an article of wearing apparel of textile material which comprises continuously passing superposed plies of the material between a pair of cooperating rotating members and thereby disintegrating said plies along the outline of the article to be formed, supplying adhesive to one of said members and thereby applying the adhesive to the material along the severed outline, and thereafter pressing the plies together to eiect sealing thereof along the areas to which the adhesive has been applied.

4. The method of making gloves of textile material which comprises continuously moving a strip of superposed plies of material from a source of supply to a point of delivery and during such movement disintegrating the superposed plies of material along the outline of the glove and in a general direction along the line of movement of the material, and simultaneously applying adhesive to an area along said outline and, also during continuous movement of the material, pressing the plies together to eiect sealing thereof along the severed outline by the adhesive.

5. A method of making gloves as in claim 4 wherein the material is also severed, within said outline during such movement along a line transverse to its direction of movement without the application of adhesive to the thus severed area.

6. A method as claim 4 wherein the material is only partly severed along the outline of the glove whereby the glove will be carried along with the moving strip of material, and then tearing the partially severed glove from the remainder of the material.

7. An apparatus for cutting and sealing the seams of an article of wearing apparel which comprises a frame, a pair of cooperating rolls, means for rotating said rolls to draw a length of superposed plies of material therebetween, one of said rolls having raised cutting ridges thereon to disintegrate the material along the outline of the article, means to apply adhesive to said disintegrating ridges along said outline to be transferred to the material to seal the plies of material together, and means acting on said material after the application of the adhesive to press said adhesive into the material and effect such sealing.

8. An apparatus for cutting and sealing the seams of an article of wearing apparel which comprises a frame, a pair of cooperating rolls, means for rotating said rolls to draw a length of superposed plies of material therebetween, one of said rolls having means thereon to disintegrate the material along the outline of the article, means to apply adhesive to said disintegrating means along said outline to be transferred to the material to seal the plies of material together, means acting on said material after the application of the adhesive to press said adhesive into the material and effect such sealing, said adhesive-applying means comprising an adhesive roller contacting said disintegrating means, and means for supplying adhesive to said adhesive roller.

9. An apparatus for cutting and sealing the seams of an article of wearing apparel which comprises a frame, a pair of cooperating rolls, means for rotating said rolls to draw a length of superposed plies of material therebetween, one of said rolls having raised ridges thereon to disintegrate the material along the outline of the article, v

means to apply adhesive to said disintegrating ridges 'along said outline to be transferred to the material to seal the plies of material together, means acting on said material after the application of the adhesive to press said adhesive into the material and eiect such sealing, said `adhesive-applying means comprising an adhesive roller contacting said disintegrating means, and means for supplying adhesive to said adhesive roller, said adhesive roller being driven from said one roll.

10. An apparatus for cutting and sealing the seams of an article of wearing apparel which comprises a frame, a pair of cooperating rolls, means for rotating said rolls to draw a length of superposed plies of material therebetween, one of said rolls having means thereon to disintegrate the material along the outline of the article,

means to apply adhesive to said distintegrating means along said outline to seal the plies of material together, means acting on said material after the application of the adhesive to press said adhesive into the mate-rial and efect such sealing, and a third roll having means thereon cooperating with the other roll of said pair to cut the material in a direction generally transverse to the direction of travel thereof.

11. An apparatus for cutting and sealing the seams of gloves or the like which comprises a frame having an anvil member thereon, a die roller cooperating with said anvil member and having means thereon to disintegrate superposed plies of material passing therebetween along the outline of the band portion and fingers of the glove and in a direction generally longitudinally of the direction of travel of the material, means for delivering adhesive to said disintegrating member to be applied thereby to the material along the lines of severance, a second die roller cooperating with said anvil member to cut the material transverse to its direction of travel across the hand portion of the glove, and means for driving said rollers.

12. An apparatus as in claim l1 wherein said anvil member constitutes a roller cooperating with said iirst die roller to draw the material therebetween.

13. An apparatus as in claim 11 wherein the adhesivedelivering means comprises a roll contacting the disintegrating means on said first die roller, and means for driving said last-named roll in contact with a supply of adhesive.

14. An yapparatus for cutting gloves or the like from two-ply textile material and sealing the seams along the lines of cut, said apparatus comprising a frame having a plurality of rollers thereon, the rst of said rollers com- 7 prising an anvil member, a second of said rollers being a disintegrating roller and having ridges thereon to disintegrate the material against said anvil roller along the outline of the glove, means for applying the adhesive to said ridges to be applied to the material, a third one of said rollers being disposed on the delivery side of said first and second rollers and cooperating with the rst thereof to engage the material therebetween, and means for driving said rollers, a fourth roller cooperating with said anvil roller `and having means thereon to cut the material in a direction transverse to its direction of travel.

15. An apparatus for cutting gloves or the like from two-ply textile material and sealing the seams along the lines of cut, said apparatus comprising a frame having a plurality of rollers thereon, one of said rollers comprising an anvil member, a second of said rollers being a disintegrating roller and having ridges thereon to disintegrate the material against said anvil roller along the outline of the glove, means for applying the adhesive to said ridges to be applied to the material, a third one of said rollers being disposed on the delivery side of said first and second rollers and cooperating with the first thereof to engage the material therebetween, and means for driving said rollers, a pressure roller on the delivery side of said third roller and lcooperating therewith to force the adhesive through the material and seal the plies of the latter along the lines of cut.

16. An apparatus for cutting gloves or the like from two-ply textile material and sealing the seams along the lines of cut, said apparatus, comprising a frame havin-g a plurality of rollers thereon, one of said rollers comprising an anvil member, a second of said rollers being a disintegrating roller and having ridges thereon to disintegrate the material against said anvil roller along the outline of the gloove, means for applying the adhesive to said ridges to be applied to the material, a third one of said rollers being disposed on the delivery side of said iirst and second rollers and cooperating with the iirst thereof to engage the material therebetween, and means for driving said rollers, a pressure roller on the delivery side of s-aid third roller to force the adhesive through the material and seal the plies of the latter along the lines of cut, said pressure roller being driven from said third roller.

17. An apparatus for cutting gloves or the like from two-ply textile materialrand sealing the seams along the lines of cut, said apparatus comprising a frame having a plurality of rollers thereon, one of said rollers comprising an anvil member, a second of Said rollers being a disintegrating roller and having ridges thereon to disintegrate the material against said anvil roller along the outline of the glove, means for applying the adhesive to said ridges to be applied to the material, a third one of said rollers being disposed on the delivery side of said iirst and second rollers and cooperating with the rst thereof to engage the material therebetween, and means for driving said rollers, a pressure roller on the delivery side of said third roller to force the adhesive through the material and seal the plies of the latter along the lines of cut, said pressure roller being driven from said third roller, and a take-up reel resting by gravity on said pressure roller to be driven thereby.

18. An apparatus for making gloves or the like comprising a plurality of positively driven rollers to draw material in superposed two-ply form from a supply thereof, a wind-up roller to which the material is delivered to be wound thereon, means to disintegrate the material along the outline of the glove between its passage from the source of supply to the wind-up roller, means to apply adhesive to the material along certain of said lines of disintegration, and means to press said adhesive into the material to seal the plies together along the area of applioation of the adhesive to the material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES VPATENTS 567,948 Bracher Sept. 15, 1896 1,271,885 Freydberg c July 9, 1918 1,612,614 Collins Dec 28, 1926 2,526,634 Chavannes Oct. 24, 1950 2,591,490 Allen Apr. 1, 1952 2,603,390 Kaufman July 15, 1952 2,650,182 Green Aug. 25, 1953 

